Courtney Dickins (bottom row, middle) of Los Angeles, California, poses with her coworkers. "I hope that we can help get ... the voice we need to stand against slavery," she said. "It breaks my heart."

Over the next several months, the CNN Freedom Project will shine a spotlight on the horrors of human trafficking, highlight some of the success stories and share ways that everyone can make a difference.

CNN iReport and GOOD are partnering on a series of creative challenges that you can do to raise awareness about this crisis. For the first assignment, we’ve invited people to share a photo of yourself holding a sign that says “I’m taking a stand to end slavery” or a video with the same message.

It may seem small, but it’s a first step to gather what we hope will be a huge group of people around the world, all committed to spreading the word about an issue of which most of the public is unaware. Together, we hope to make a big difference in future Freedom Project challenges.

So far, iReporters in nearly 20 countries have taken the pledge. As Salome Van Leuven of Farnham, England, eloquently put it, the problem “will not be resolved if no one is aware of it.” She added, “a good campaign will make people start talking.”

How about you? Will you take a stand to end slavery? Take the pledge so you can take part in future Freedom Project challenges.

About the Freedom Project

CNN is joining the fight to end modern-day slavery by shining a spotlight on the horrors of modern-day slavery, amplifying the voices of the victims, highlighting success stories and helping unravel the complicated tangle of criminal enterprises trading in human life. WHY WE'RE DOING THIS | MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT

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